Eccentricity
by glaciegelato
Summary: An initiative lead by Ryoma and Corrin sparks interest throughout the army. However, it's not quite what most people have in mind. Asugi, Caeldori and Rhajat try their best to succeed in it, but their expectations of success aren't quite clear, and the road ahead is filled with numerous chaotic scenes waiting to unfold. Birthright. AU.
1. Day 1: Brain Brawl

**Hey!**

 **I'm actually pretty excited for this piece. I hope it will turn out as well as I hope, considering that I'm still fairly new to writing (I have uploaded a piece to this site before, though I have regarded it as more of an experiment of sorts). However, I do enjoy writing immensely, despite still being a novice. Plus, we have to start somewhere, heh.**

 **This is AU, but as stated in the summary, there are just a few minor differences. The first one being Flora joins the group after you defeat the Ice Tribe, rather than… you know. Secondly, I have slightly altered Corrin's personality. They ARE the "avatar" after all, so I think that Corrin is probably the most flexible character to work with. Sure, they have a "personality" in-game, but to be honest with you? Nah. It doesn't cut it. This Corrin is male. OOC? Maybe. Depends how you look at it.**

 **Pairings include: Corrin x Oboro, Saizo x Kagero, Subaki x Hinoka, Hayato x Sakura, Ryoma x Scarlet, Takumi x Setsuna, Azama x Felicia, Kaze x Hana, Kaden x Azura, Jakob x Flora, Silas x Mozu, Hinata x Rinkah. These are more or less the pairings I did in my Birthright file, with a few little tweaks. I feel that Orochi and Reina are slightly older, so they don't really pair up well with the younger army.**

 **I hope that wasn't too long! But with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy. Btw, I use British English. :)**

 **I don't own Fire Emblem.**

* * *

You know what's difficult?

Satisfying a midnight sugar craving.

The Astral Plane had fallen into a slumber for the night. Very little was stirring in these lands, save for the few nocturnal creatures that roamed the Astral Plane. Included in this group was a select type of firefly; these bugs were hovering around the mess hall, their lower abdomens emitting a luminous light.

This niche was rather advantageous for a certain chocolate-haired ninja, as it paved a path for him. Even the shadows could not testify to his presence in the vicinity. If anyone was nearby, they wouldn't be able to identify the shapes in the shadows as anything human. Or maybe they could. Who knows.

Taking a quick peek at his surroundings, the ninja concluded that the coast was 100% clear.

"The Mess Hall has been infiltrated… now it's time for a sugar rush! Heh," Asugi whispered to himself, sinisterly grinning as he glanced around the lifeless kitchen.

It was eerily silent, not a single soul could be seen. The moonbeams broke through the thin windows and shone onto a silver tin which was labeled "SWEETS", glinting in the corner of Asugi's hazel green eyes. They immediately lit up in a state of sugar lust, and with trance-like movements, the ninja silently tiptoed over to the tin. Giving the room a cautious eye to make sure he was alone, he took a gander at the sugary treats lying in wait just to be gobbled up.

…

Disappointment wasn't even a good enough word to convey the look on Asugi's face after coming to the sudden realisation that, in fact, the tin was completely empty, save for a few crumbs. Worse yet, he had heard a faint noise. Was it a voice? Asugi pondered this as he began to creep cautiously towards the noise.

Peering round the corner and making sure he was out of earshot but he could still see them, Asugi noticed a man in red armour and hair that made him look like a lobster. A certain white-haired prince also stood opposite him. _Hmm… What are they doing here at this time of night?_ Asugi thought. But he shook his head. The ninja decided it was best to make a tactical retreat.

Once he had returned to his quarters, Asugi sighed. This was a first. Mission Sugar Rush had never faltered like this. Sadly, Asugi was going to go hungry tonight. Or was he?

A small box decorated a part of his shelf. Asugi's heart skipped a beat. He reached up and grabbed it with haste, too desperate to care what kind of treats were inside. He opened the box to find a few wafers. Smiling, Asugi took them to his bed and rested them on his lap, licking his lips. Bringing one to his mouth, he gave a small chuckle and took a bite.

It was rock solid.

Confused, Asugi lifted the box up to check the "Eat by" label that he would put on his cookie jars and brownie stashes.

The wafers were a month off.

Asugi flopped on his bed, the wafers rolling off his lap onto the sheets. Satisfying his impulsive cravings wasn't this hard, in fact, quite the contrary, as he usually kept boxes in his room that were filled to the brim with sugary treats and snacks. However, he had run out and had forgotten to stock up on more. It was bittersweet, really.

* * *

Sweet birdsong enchanted the plains as dawn broke through the gloom. The skies were almost fully blue; small, fragmented clouds littered the sky, white as a bone.

Asugi was up, bright and early, his stomach reminding him of last night's struggles. He rolled onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Since his quarters were close to the mess hall, he could always catch the hint of food on the wind. Smells crept through his window, flaring his nostrils with the scent of breakfast. _Mmm. Moist and freshly cooked pancakes with sweet and sticky syrup…_ Asugi's mind wandered off into a state of bliss as he imagined such delights entering his mouth and filling his stomach.

Sparing no second, he quickly leaped out of his bed, leaving the duvet strewn across in an unsightly manner. In that same second, a rain of stale wafers struck his right foot causing him to howl in pain and perform an odd dance to put even Azura to shame.

"Criminy! What could do that much damage to my foot?" Asugi hissed to himself, tentatively placing his foot back on the floor. His eyes swept the floor, searching for the pesky wafers that had turned rogue against him. He reached for one that had rolled its way under his bed and picked it up, knocking it.

"Huh… I could use these as makeshift shuriken. Sure, I might get some funny looks, but… I'm not the type of guy to waste perfectly good wafers like that, even if they are rather out of date…" Asugi observed as he thought out loud.

Shoving them in one corner, the ninja scampered out the room in search for the doughy delights. Upon his travels, he bumped into his mother, Kagero, who was pleasantly surprised to see him.

"Good morning, Asugi. I thought you'd already be at the mess hall…" Her tone gave the impression that she was genuinely taken aback.

Asugi grinned and scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed at how well his mother knew him. "Mum… I had an accident with some wafers earlier. Kinda messed up my schedule, y'know?"

Kagero smiled. "I half-expected you to say you had an accident with something else, but I can't be too surprised, heh. Well, let's go?"

While the mother and son walked side-by-side to the Mess Hall, Asugi's mind stirred. Memories began to dredge up about last night… Asugi tried to block them out, but it wasn't easy. What was the deal with Corrin and Ryoma? It was very late, there was no way they could be there under normal circumstances…

A small queue was already beginning to form inside the mess hall. Hayato and Sakura, fiancées, were the ones serving up today's breakfast, and their specialty was pancakes. Asugi mouth grew slack as he felt himself drool a river just due to the sickly sweet smell that he gorged himself on. Kagero noticed his vacant expression and sighed. Her son's behaviour to anything sugar packed was to the extreme.

After Asugi had grabbed what he had dubbed "love on a plate", his eyes wandered the room, looking for a potential seat. His mother had gone off and had sat with her childhood friend Orochi, but where could _he_ sit?

A girl sat in the corner by herself. _How about I sit over there? I mean, it can't hurt to sit next to her… Can it?_

"Hey," Asugi said, greeting the girl and shoving his butt on the seat next to hers. She grunted a small "hello" in return.

Asugi devoured his pancakes in no time at all, the flavour giving him a foodgasm. This sparked a seething comment from the girl.

"Hush, child. If you're going to do that then at least do it far away from me."

Asugi stared at her, shocked. "Who are you kidding, sunshine? These pancakes are a-mazing."

The girl recoiled, her brow becoming even more furrowed than it normally was. "Call me sunshine again and you won't be able to use that blasted mouth of yours ever again - to speak, or to eat. Heehee…"

"Geez, calm down! Who pooped in your pancakes today?"

"Who… what? … Oh no." The girl covered her face with her slim hands as she imagined something she really wish she didn't.

Asugi's expectant face told her that she should probably voice her thoughts, so that's exactly what she did.

"When you said 'Who pooped in your pancakes today?', I just had an awful vision of my father squatting down over the pancakes and, er… well, you know…" She said, gagging at the end.

"Nice. Real nice," Asugi muttered.

There was a small commotion going on at the side of the mess hall. Ryoma looked like he was about to announce something, but his son Shiro was talking to him. He seemed rather distressed, but the situation soon sorted itself out. Almost everyone in the hall had turned their attention to Ryoma. He cleared his throat.

"Hello, my comrades. Today marks the start of a new training regimen; an initiative which will bring us together and we will be able to achieve greater heights."

Almost everyone present in the hall groaned.

"Ahahaha, cheerful as ever, I see. Everyone will be put into a group of 3 and will be expected to fulfill certain tasks together. This will build our bonds and teamwork. Adults and children will be separated so there won't be an adult-child mix in one team."

"I'm no expert, but that sounds more like a competition than a regimen." Shiro paused. "Which… sounds totally awesome! Yeah!"

"I will leave a list of who is working with who on this parchment. I expect to meet you all at high noon at the field next to the peach orchard, where I will explain what we will be doing for today's task. Until then, acquaint yourself those that you have been allocated with. I hope to see you all there."

With that, Ryoma dipped his head, and turned to his right and left the hall. Murmurs began to break out about what kind of competition this would be. People began to go up and check the parchment to see who they were allocated with. Unfortunately for most, the groups had been hand-picked and were extremely well thought out to the point that everyone was working with the people they supposedly knew the least.

Asugi nudged the girl's arm with his elbow. "C'mon, let's go see who we're with!" The girl rolled her eyes and stood up, following Asugi to the parchment.

There seemed to be some kind of row over the groups. On closer inspection, the fact of the matter really wasn't who everyone was with, but instead the spelling, of all things.

"M-my name isn't "Sackra"!"

"This brings dishonour to my name; "Cazzy" is not how you spell it."

"BAHAHAHA! They spelled your name as "Hissamay"!"

Asugi looked over the parchment paper, scanning for his name in all the mish-mash of misspelled names. Finally, he found it. There was a slight misspelling however.

A mixture of shock and disgust flooded Asugi's face as he looked at the complete butchering of his name, "Assoogy". Next to it was "Rahjat" (which wasn't so bad, just a letter misplaced) and "Caldorey". He assumed they were his teammates.

Rhajat's face had darkened almost to the point where a storm was practically brewing on her face. "Why… why?" Her words came out like the harshest blizzard on a mountainside. Asugi took a step back.

"Whoa there, they didn't butcher your name THAT bad. In fact, it's one of the best spellings there. I mean, look at "Assoogy"! That has to be one of the worst crimes ever committed on paper!"

This consoled Rhajat, and she shrugged her small shoulders as if to say, "You make a good point".

"Well, we may as well go back to my quarters and discuss our strategy, as that's what most people seem to be doing. Normally I wouldn't allow guests but I'd rather be at home than your decay depot," Rhajat grumbled, noticing the expression on Asugi's face. "Come on."

"Well… okay, sunshine. By the way, where's Caeldori?" The ninja swung his head around both ways.

"I think she may be out. But don't worry, I'll make sure that she comes to my quarters as soon as she's back," Rhajat suddenly lowered her voice into a menacing growl. "Also, did you just call me-"

"Hahaha! Okay, let's get going! Noooo time to lose, no way!" Grinning, Asugi slapped Rhajat on the back, causing her to flinch. She silently cursed to herself, wondering why she was put with this mad fool.

* * *

Closing the door, Rhajat announced, "Here we are. Home sweet home. Oh, and watch out for anything… moving. Heehee."

Rhajat's room was a typical necromancer's lair. The decor was extremely old and dark; the curtains were tattered and crusted; the bed was scattered with many old tomes and scrolls; there were many ominous glowing containers and jars haphazardly placed on a shelf; and to top it off, the light was very limited despite it being mid-morning.

Asugi shifted around the piles of apparatus and empty bottles that once contained potions. Rhajat jumped forward, knowing exactly where to put her feet, and shoved the old crap off her bed. She held out her hand pointedly at the edge of the bed. "Sit."

Asugi obeyed, perching himself on the bed. He squirmed uncomfortably.

"So… what do we do now?"

"I'm not quite sure. Maybe we'll have an idea when that prodigy gets here." She cocked her head. "Would you care for some coffee?"

Asugi placed his thumb and index finger on his chin. "Sure. But add lots of sugar, yeah?"

"Yes, yes…" After using her magic to boil water in a cauldron without a flame, Rhajat reached up onto a shelf, grabbing what appeared to be a container of sugar. She thought out loud. "Wait, is this sugar, or that crystallised cobra venom that I use in divinations…? …no, I'm pretty sure it's sugar. Heehee." Asugi stiffened.

Rhajat cackled to herself as the hot water was ready to pour into the china cup. She rummaged around the drawer for what seemed to be a spoon. It looked rather old but it did the trick.

"Here you go. I'm not responsible for any of your guts spilling out," she bluntly stated, handing the hot cup of java to Asugi, who gave her a skeptical look before taking a sip.

A moment passed. Rhajat looked expectantly at Asugi. "How is it?"

"It's okay. It'll do juuuust fine."

"Good."

After she shoved the cauldron back in the corner, Rhajat tried her best to tidy up the junk cluttering the floor, but this was in vain as she tripped over into a pile of books near the doorway. She grumbled.

"I'm okay," she said when she saw that Asugi had jumped up out of his spot.

But that wasn't true for much longer. Rhajat just managed to get steady on her feet when the door immediately flung open, launching her halfway across the room. A flustered sky knight was panting as she stood looking disheveled in the doorway.

"H-hi! Sorry that I'm late, I was on a patrol! How are-"

Caeldori stopped mid-sentence at the sight of Rhajat's room. If it was messy before, it was comparable to the devastation of a hurricane blowing through the room, followed by an earthquake.

"...you guys doing..."

Rhajat had been thrown back into a pile of empty jars. Hanging very dangerously above her head on a shelf was a container filled with small, white crystals. The lid wasn't on very securely. Rhajat's eyes directed upwards.

"Ohoho… now THAT'S where I put the crystallised cobra venom…"

"Wait. That stuff is lethal if it touches your skin," Rhajat closed her eyes and lay limp in the pile. "Death comes for everyone. I suppose my time is now… I see… a vast desert…"

Caeldori's eyes widened at the dramatic scene unfolding before her eyes. "No, wait! I'll get you out of there!" she cried, stepping over the junk on the floor. "Now if I could just get this cobra venom out the way…"

"Wait! I'll help," Asugi said, clambering over the mess. He grabbed the cobra venom lid and tried his best from the angle he was in to secure the lid on. Caeldori began clearing the mess out from where Rhajat was buried in the junk.

A considerable amount of time passed. There was no way Rhajat's room could be regarded as "clean", but the trio had made it somewhat a little tidier and it was certainly easier to traverse now that the tomes were neatly stacked where they couldn't wreck havoc.

It sounded like a crowd was beginning to gather outside. Caeldori ripped the crusty curtains open to have a peek, causing Rhajat to shrivel up in the corner and hiss like some moody feline.

Caeldori's eyes nearly popped out of her eye sockets when she realised they were pushing the time a little.

And that's an understatement.

* * *

Huffing and puffing from a desperate sprint, the trio barely made it as Ryoma cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming. I see you're all in your respective groups; it is key that you support each other during these trials."

"While this is supposed to be a regimen, I suppose you can think of it like a competition, to a certain extent. Each team will gain points depending on how well you coped and dealt with the challenge. Remember: teamwork is absolutely everything. This isn't just for fun - this will help us on the battlefield, and especially when we dethrone King Garon."

"Back to the topic at hand. Scarlet and Corrin will help me evaluate your skills. Like me, they will not be participating, but instead will help judge and give essential tips on how to improve you, not just as a soldier, but as a person as well."

"This regime will last for 10 days. Today's challenge is the one where brains are suited over brawn; that's right, a quiz. Do you possess the knowledge in battle tactics? This may be extremely easy for some, difficult for others - try to help your peers, they may learn something new. This quiz was created by Corrin and me."

"We planned to have you all seated in a hall, but we decided it was best to let you all go away to do this yourself wherever you wanted to go. The parchment with the questions is on this tree stump. I expect them back within 1 hour, where we will tally up your scores and award points based on your answers. Good luck."

The red-clad prince bowed his head and stepped aside, causing an eager rush to the parchment on the stump.

Corrin rolled his eyes, straying on the edge of the kerfuffle. He planned to stay in bed all day reading fiction, but due to his brother's cloying requests, he had no choice but to compromise.

He felt conflicted that his wife and daughter had obliged to participate in this "regimen", and he didn't. Maybe Ryoma didn't feel that it was right to make him participate, considering his role in the army. Or maybe he did want him to participate, but Corrin was just being lazy. Yeah, that seemed about right, knowing him.

Oh, well. At least he hoped that everyone liked the questions that he thought up.

* * *

"Ahhh! What does this even mean?"

The trio was squatted around the sheet of parchment in Caeldori's immaculate room, free of any clutter and grime. It was a much more pleasant environment to work in compared to the likes of Rhajat's "junkyard", as Caeldori had deemed it.

The first question proved to be a challenging one. It read, "Corn has thirty speed-boosting apples which quadruple the consumer's agility. He shares them out evenly within his army, which contains 5 other people. If Azura sings that mad Lost in Snots All Alone song, and Garon groans of increasing discomfort, what will I eat for breakfast tomorrow?

"..."

"..."

The room fell deathly silent. Rhajat glanced nervously at her teammates. Caeldori gave an embarrassed cough.

Asugi nonchalantly popped a lollipop into his mouth. He offered one each to Rhajat and Caeldori, but they declined.

"ANYWAY," Asugi said, "Let's just skip this question and move on. Ooh, did I just see the word candy…?"

"What does it say? Ah yes," Caeldori read, "Soomaraggy lays out 50 patches of caltrops, while Meekotoe lays out just 20. If Graron maliciously drops 35 pieces of death candy, 20% over Soomaraggy's caltrops and the other 80% over Meekotoe's, how many of the caltrops and candy is in each patch?"

Rhajat placed a finger on her chin. "Ugh… This makes my brain hurt. Also, Soomeraggy? Meekotoe? Are they trying to be subtle or stupid? Because I think the latter sums them up better."

"Ah… It's not so difficult. 20 percent is pretty much one-fifth, so that's like saying 35 divided by 5, which is 7. If I do some extra calculations… then here we go. Soomeraggy has 57 altogether in his patch and Meekotoe has 48. Simple!" Caeldori rested her quill pen on the floor.

"Whooooaaaa… nice. I don't think I could do it that quickly," Rhajat said, praising Caeldori's mental math skills. Asugi simply smirked, but then that turned into a different expression very quickly. One of shocking realisation.

Rhajat raised an eyebrow. "Asugi, you look like you've seen a ghost… Or maybe you have? Though I can't recall using that hex recently…"

"It's not that. It's just… aren't you two cousins?! Since your mothers are siblings, so…" Asugi rested his forehead on his hand.

Caeldori's body twitched. What began to come out her mouth was not what Asugi expected in the slightest.

" _0101110010101001… Checking databases… My answer is 'no'. The game does not register us as cousins despite us actually being related… The royals are not our canonical mothers so the game does not consider if the player chooses to pair our fathers up with a royal. Beep boop beep boop. That is all the data I can enclose. Beginning to shut down databases…_ " Caeldori dropped to the floor after spouting monotonous nonsense. Rhajat simply shook her head.

A few minutes later Caeldori had regained consciousness. Rhajat was already brewing an energy tonic for Caeldori in case she felt weak after waking up. How Rhajat got the apparatus in the room so quickly was beyond Caeldori, but she had no reason to complain as this was going to do her good.

And it did. Meanwhile, Asugi was crouched over the parchment, whizzing his way through the questions. They were difficult without help from his fellow teammates, but unfortunately, he had to bite the bullet and do this for the team.

Asugi's progress was interrupted by a large groan. Caeldori was sitting up, but it was evident that she was distraught.

"Are… you… okay?" Asugi said in a low voice. Rhajat giggled, but she disguised it with a cough.

Caeldori stuck up her index finger, pouting. "Excuse me? I am okay…" She clambered over her bed and shoved her head out the window, screaming "I'M A BIRDYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Asugi's face was deadpan.

"Rhajat, change her back to normal. Now."

"What, I'm not allowed to have a little fun with this?" Rhajat huffed as she boiled an antidote for the hexed energy tonic she had intoxicated Caeldori with.

Once it had brewed, she called over Caeldori, who still had her head out the window. She pulled her head back and obediently drifted over to Rhajat, who handed her an antidote. Caeldori took a sip, and in the blink of an eye, she reverted into her normal self.

Caeldori looked puzzled. "What just happened…?"

"Ahh, would you look at that! The hourglass you set is just about to run out!" Rhajat exclaimed, changing the subject.

Caeldori gasped. "So it is!" She grabbed the parchment that Asugi was writing on and tugged on his arm. "C'mon c'mon c'mon we need to go!"

"Hold your horses, I'm coming…" Asugi muttered, rolling his eyes. In the back of his mind he wondered if Rhajat really did change Caeldori back. At least, he hoped she did.

* * *

The trio handed the parchment back to Ryoma, barely a minute before the hour changed. Most groups had already handed the sheet, but there were a couple missing, most notably Group 3. Then again, they did have Setsuna, who was most likely held back by some odd trap on the way.

Corrin and Ryoma were already busying themselves with marking the papers. They were performing this at a fairly swift pace.

A small while later, they had both finished. They exchanged a few hushed words alongside some raised eyebrows before Ryoma turned his head to the army.

"Thank you for all submitting your first task as a group. From these sheets, I can see you have all worked considerably well. Group 5 in particular actually managed to get full marks, so kudos to them!"

Everyone turned their heads to look at Kaze, Hinoka and Subaki, and began to applaud. Kaze smiled, and Hinoka blushed. Subaki looked smug. Like, the kind of smug that makes you want to punch him.

"Of course Father's team got full marks," Caeldori muttered in a low, sinister tone.

"Wait, why are your parents on the same team? Isn't that a little unfair?" Asugi asked.

"Beats me," Caeldori rolled her eyes. "I blame Uncle Takumi."

"Er, why?"

"Just 'cause." She forced a smile, which fuelled Asugi's skepticism about Caeldori being back to normal. He gave Rhajat a meaningful glare, but she had her attention on something different.

Once the applause had died down, Ryoma began to speak again. This time his voice was quite grave. "Unfortunately, we have had to deduct a few points from certain groups. Firstly, Group 3 were late… Then Group 11 had a big nasty stain on their paper, making some of their answers unreadable…" Ryoma stood, listing off the many reasons that points were deducted. Meanwhile, Corrin had his attention fixed on something entirely different.

In Corrin's right hand held a book - a work of fiction. It was about a hero on a quest to beat a league so they could become the champion of that area. He thought the plot was okay, but it lacked the same finesse the book about the boy and his psychic powers had. Corrin had paid little to no attention to Ryoma, and subsequent to marking the papers, he found a shaded stump to perch on to immerse himself in the world of fiction.

This particular work of fiction was actually recommended to him by his wife, Oboro. She thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the fact that she shed some tears over it as it was quite moving at times. After a lot of thought, Corrin decided it wasn't THAT emotional, albeit, it made him think.

Ryoma was still going. He showed almost no sign of stopping.

"...Group 2 left many blank spaces, and finally, Group 6… I don't even know where to begin. I-"

A sharp and shrill shriek split the air.

The army that was gathered fell silent, craning their heads to where the sound originated.

A redhead merchant sprinted out of the Mess Hall, lugging a large sack behind her. A flustered Scarlet exited the Mess Hall a second later. She tripped over a couple rocks trying to catch the thief, but her sudden fit of clumsiness hindered her, ultimately screeching as she tripped up and face-planted.

"Scarlet!" Ryoma dashed to her side post-haste, his husbandly instincts kicking in. A quick scan of her body assured him that she hadn't sustained any real injuries; just a small scuff not worth fretting over.

While running, the merchant looked behind her shoulder. Noticing that Scarlet had tripped up, she cunningly grinned. Just as she turned her head back, she found herself running smack-dab into a tree. The startled robins that were nestling in the tree flew off.

Scarlet laughed.

"Wait, what just happened?" Asugi found himself unable to process the scene that had unfolded in front of everyone's eyes.

"Isn't that Banana?" Rhajat asked.

Caeldori shook her head. "No, no, no. That's Nana!"

"Wrong again," Corrin interrupted the trio's little conversation, waggling his finger. "That's Anna. I forgot you Hoshidans aren't good with foreign names. Y'all insist on calling me Kamui for some odd reason..."

"Oh." Asugi and Caeldori said in unison.

Rhajat gasped. "CORRIN!" She took hold of his arm and stared at his face with a dumb smile. To her dissatisfaction, Corrin ignored her.

"But that's weird," Corrin's face had adopted a slight frown. "What's Anna doing here? I thought she just liked to hang about the Outrealms."

Corrin shrugged off Rhajat's grip and walked off towards Anna, leaving Rhajat dismayed.

"Wait… Corrin, don't gooooooooooo!" Rhajat cried. She dashed off, tailing Corrin.

"There she goes..." Asugi murmured, folding his arms.

* * *

 **Haha. Guess we'll have to find out about what that was about next chapter. References? ...maybe.**

 **So, I have had so many ideas for a Fire Emblem fic, but none of them really satisfied me enough to the point that I could polish it and call it something to be proud of. I'm happy that I settled on this, and it didn't turn out as awful as I expected. So there's a plus.**

 **Why did I use the Awakening clones? Well, good question. I feel that they're kinda looked down upon simply because they're lazy clones of Awakening characters. I think that it is kind of understandable that people dislike them, however, despite strikingly similar appearances and personalities, they're still their own individual characters.**

 **I'm pretty inconsistent with updates, but I'm hoping to at least write regularly enough so there isn't too large a time gap between updates. If I want to write the next chapter the way I plan it, it has to be written by a certain deadline (This doesn't apply to all of the chapters, just this one; reasons, lol).**

 **Criticism and feedback are appreciated , I wanna see how I can improve (If there are any typos or grammatical issues which I have done my best to reduce to a bare minimum but they may still be present, please say). Until next time! c:**


	2. Day 2: Scare Tactics

A serene and quiet afternoon in the Astral Plane meant that the army could relax. Asugi and Caeldori were sat around a table in the Mess Hall, soaking in all the peacefulness that they could. Flora shuffled over with two teacups filled with an aromatic Hoshidan blend of tea.

"Enjoy," she said, smiling, as she placed the tea on the table before returning to fulfill customer requests.

Asugi took a sip of the hot beverage. The amount of sugar added meant that the sweetness directly countered the bitterness. His tastebuds felt like they were in heaven.

"Man, Flora _knows_ how to make tea taste good," Asugi remarked, resting the teacup onto the table.

Taking note of Asugi's comment, Caeldori lifted the teacup to her lips and took a small sip.

"It's hot," she concluded. She tilted her head. "Hmm… it's weird. Flora is from the Ice Tribe, right? Then how, in the name of Naga, do I get the impression she's a total pyromaniac?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

Caeldori shrugged. "It just seems that she is. Is that such an odd assumption to make?"

"Well… it's certainly a random one…"

Asugi and Caeldori resumed drinking their tea. There weren't many people in the room aside from Asugi, Caeldori, and Flora. It was quiet, but peaceful. The Hoshidan decor helped to give the room a pleasant and comforting feel. Small, green, leafy plants were intricately placed on top of various cabinets across the room. Katana and other weapons rested on shelves; however, they were there simply for decorative purposes.

After Asugi had finished his tea, he decided to break the silence.

"Where's Rhajat? I thought she was gonna join us…"

"Not sure," Caeldori said, turning her head. They had planned to rendezvous in the Mess Hall a little under an hour ago, but Rhajat was nowhere to be seen. It was somewhat troubling.

The ninja stood up, nonchalantly nestling his hands in his pockets. "Better look for her," he said, sniffing. "No clue where she could be, though."

Caeldori sighed, as she rose up from her seat onto her feet. "I guess we could try her room, but honestly? I have no clue."

Suddenly, Asugi clicked his fingers. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"I think… yeah, definitely!"

"What might you be referring to?" Caeldori raised an eyebrow.

Asugi nodded, his eyes refusing to meet Caeldori's gaze. "Let's go!"

The ninja headed for the doorway while beckoning the sky knight to follow him.

* * *

Corrin sighed.

After yesterday's incident with Anna attempting to swindle half a ton of onigiri, Corrin had decided to excuse her, since she appeared to be doing it for a good cause. However, in order for Corrin to fully trust her, she was required to become an extra judge for the competition. She happily obliged, but it was apparent that she was only truly happy for the potential profit she could make.

Now he had another problem on his hands. Namely, Rhajat.

It was bad enough that she had chosen Corrin, of all people, to stalk, but the fact that Corrin was a married man really made it cross the line.

Rhajat had cast an invisibility spell on herself so she was able to sneak in and make herself able to be next to Corrin without him knowing. Of course, he eventually noticed when he sat on her, but Corrin couldn't catch her to chuck her out of her room. Oboro was out, unfortunately.

Now she was up close. She fondled his arm with her hands. "Mmm…"

Corrin frowned. "Can you not?"

"I'll never let go…" Rhajat trailed off, purring.

"I'll never have a normal life…" Corrin retorted.

Rhajat giggled, wrapping her small physique around Corrin's body. Corrin tried his best to fling her off. He succeeded.

"Ow…" Rhajat moaned, rubbing her shoulder from where it was bashed against a bookcase.

Corrin walked over to the door and swiftly opened it. He beckoned for her to exit.

"Now, leave. I have preparations to do for tonight's task. Actually, I think you're gonna like this one."

"Why… what's it about?" Rhajat asked, tiptoeing towards the door.

"I… it's best if I don't say anything."

Rhajat stopped. "Why not? You can tell me _anything_." Her last word came out more as a purr.

"Not really. If I did, Ryoma would probably take Raijinto and shove it up my- You know what? Never mind, just go." Corrin stepped away from the door as it shut behind Rhajat. Afterward, he made a check of the room just to make sure that she wasn't still lingering about.

* * *

Asugi and Caeldori stopped outside Corrin's quarters. Caeldori gave Asugi an odd look.

"Why are we here?" Caeldori asked, while running her fingers through her crimson coloured hair.

"Let's be real for a sec. Rhajat practically worships Corrin. So we're bound to find her here," Asugi replied. Caeldori opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, looking away.

Asugi gave the door a brisk knock. There was a brief silence before the door creaked open, revealing a white-haired prince.

"Whaddaya want…?" His tone expressed his current bout of apathy. Asugi's eyes crept past Corrin, wandering his room. He was surprised at the state of his room, especially since he had 3 servants AND a tidy wife.

Asugi was quick to point this out. "Yo, Corrin, what is up with your room? Why are there-"

"Shush." Corrin calmly placed his index finger over Asugi's lips, barely brushing them. Asugi froze.

"Hm, you want an answer, I suppose?" Corrin looked at Caeldori as he spoke. "Rhajat. There's your answer. Now, go. I have tons of crap to do for tonight, so I don't want any distractions." With that, Corrin retracted his hand and shut the door, leaving a startled ninja and a conflicted sky knight behind it.

"B-but… I didn't get to ask my real question," Asugi whimpered, his sudden lack of composure beginning to shine through.

Caeldori sighed. "In a way, he did. We now know that Rhajat HAS been by here. Though, she isn't here now, which might be a slight issue. Maybe…" The redhead tilted her head. "Maybe she's back at her room again. Let's check there."

"Are you- wait!" Asugi couldn't finish as Caeldori had already started to walk in the direction of Rhajat's room.

While walking, Asugi wondered what kind of task would happen tonight. Come to think of it, there had been very little setting up, and it almost appeared as if all of the preparations would be rushed just before it began. He dismissed the thought. _Guess we'll have to see what happens when the time comes._

* * *

 _Group 7_

All of a sudden, Hisame tripped, landing on the soft, springy moss underfoot. He rubbed his ankle, fearing that it might be sprained. Mitama bent down to check if he was alright, her soothing coos comforting him. Shiro, however…

"Ahahaha! Guess who's in a bit of a _pickle_ now! Gahahahaha!"

Nearby, Rhajat mentally facepalmed. The idea of cringing was fairly unfamiliar to her. Nonetheless, she found the unnecessary joke by the spear fighter what she would classify as "cringeworthy".

 _Shiro: Added to list of hexing subjects._

* * *

"Caeldori?"

"What?"

"I know you're trying to look for Rhajat, but this is ridiculous."

And indeed it was. Caeldori had broken into Rhajat's room. Well, not quite "broken into" but "walked through the only entrance".

Now she was rustling through her cupboards, almost shattering Rhajat's flasks and jugs. Asugi stood at the doorway like a sour lemon, but it had been drained of its juices, or rather, any life force at all.

"Okay, stop, stop. I don't think she would stuff herself in a cupboard. Let's just step out and go look somewhere else, maybe ask some people, like a normal person would?"

Caeldori continued her pointless searching, her face red and flustered, similar to the shade of her hair. "Are you saying… I'm not normal? That's not very nice!"

Asugi grinned. "Take it how you will."

A moment later, Caeldori conceded that there was very little point in scavenging Rhajat's room. By that point, Asugi had already created a list of the possible locations Rhajat could be lurking in. Asugi waved the parchment in Caeldori's face, his skin crawling so much that it made him feel antsy, and his best wishes were to leave the dreary atmosphere of Rhajat's room.

Caeldori scanned the list, nodding her head. The nodding came to an abrupt stop as her eyes settled on ' _Corrin's room'._

"But we were there 20 minutes ago?" Asugi rolled his eyes.

"You… do know this is Rhajat we're talking about, right…?" His sentence ended with a chuckle.

"Oh, _alright._ Fair enough. I guess we have to go now-"

A small, slender figure appeared, her deadpan face adding to the dullness of the room. She stared almost lifelessly at Asugi, then Caeldori, then back to Asugi. They were frozen in place.

…

Rhajat blinked.

"Hah! I win."

"What." Rhajat's voice was totally monotonous.

"Er… you blinked first… I thought we were having a staring contest?" Asugi mumbled, sheepishly.

Rhajat's expression was comparable to that of a stone. Caeldori sniggered, but then flinched when Rhajat locked her deadly eyes with her.

"I don't have time for your games. I've been trying to find the both of you for hours. I've been looking _all_ over the Astral Plane, and I come back to my room to find the both of you. Now, normally I'd be jumping for joy, but you've both made an absolute mess of my room. I'm actually very annoyed. Now, what kind of hex should I plant on you both?" Rhajat cackled while pretending to chew her thumb.

"... is that your first time you've ever lied?"

"What? What I just said isn't a lie."

Asugi laughed, the high pitch of his laughter almost making Rhajat wince. "Oh dear. Ohh dear. First off, Corrin told us that you'd been bugging him. Secondly, there's no way you were looking for us. You probably came back here just so you could have us find you."

"...I tried." Rhajat's voice was meek.

"I bet."

All of a sudden, Caeldori jumped up. "Guys?! I think we need to go now! I hear tons of people! Ahhhhhh!"

Caeldori's inexplicable squawking shook Asugi and Rhajat, and they soon totally forgot about their conversation as they tailed Caeldori out of the room, once again. They were stuck in a cycle of rushing to the centre of the Astral Plane - an endless one, at that.

* * *

Ryoma looked especially grumpy today. He cleared his throat before he began to speak.

"Hello. Today, for your second challenge, you will be cast into a special realm. In this special realm, you will have to find your way out! The only clues you have to find your exit are the clues scattered about the realm. Don't worry, the realm is relatively small. There will be enemies, so we are allowing you your weapons!"

The last part sparked interest in the audience.

"Will we have to fight each other?"

"W-what if we die?"

Ryoma cleared his throat, once again.

"Hinata, no, you won't be fighting each other. While will all be placed in the exact same realm, you won't encounter each other, as we have replicated the realm, thanks to some external help."

"And Sakura, you will not die. In fact, if you are knocked unconscious, you will be instantly warped back to the Astral Plane. This has been tried and tested, so do not fret over that."

"There's another thing you will all need to know. If, at any point, you and your team wish to forfeit the challenge, you must use the words ' _Ayamha Gelibien'._ Everyone repeat. ' _Ayamha Gelibien'."_

Everyone chanted ' _Ayamha Gelibien'_ as if it were some foreign word. Ryoma seemed content.

"Good. Well, that's all you'll need to know. If you have any more questions, please speak up now."

Suddenly, the army exploded with questions.

"Milord… will there be any traps in the realm? I know that goes without saying, but…"

"I say we should just use our fists instead of weapons!"

"Does Uncle Takumi still get to use his Fujin Yumi? It seems a little too strong…"

"H-hey, Shiro! Quiet!"

Judging by his facial expressions, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Ryoma was not enjoying his current role.

* * *

It was night, and the Astral Realm was silent, with the occasional buzz of a firefly or hoot of an owl, but nothing more. Most of the army had already gone through the Dragon's Gate. Asugi's team was one of the few who hadn't.

"Wait, don't you think the other teams get an advantage, getting to go first?" Caeldori seemed upset.

Anna smiled. "No, love. They haven't arrived at the Outrealm yet. It only starts when all the teams have passed through the Dragon's Gate."

"Oh…"

The Dragon's Gate was swirling with mystery. Shades of blue, green, pink, purple - practically every colour - was seen in the enigmatic gate. In every realm, there existed some kind of gate that lead to other realms. They weren't man-made, either. When the lands were created, these large, imposing gates were laid down by the Gods as a means of transport throughout the realms.

Asugi was beginning to get bored, and it was noticeable that his peers were too.

"Um, Anna?"

"Yeeeesss?"

"When can we go into the Dragon's Gate?" Asugi asked, a frown on his face.

Anna grimaced. "I…" She trailed off, sighing.

Rhajat and Caeldori exchanged glances.

"Well… basically, there's been a bit of a delay with Group 4. Felicia forgot to bring her dagger, and Saizo isn't sharing his spare shuriken. Something about "honor" and "why was I paired with this destructive klutz?". Eh, I hope that situation solves itself out soon because we're a bit behind schedule…"

Asugi couldn't hold back a grin. "That's Dad for ya."

15 minutes passed. To the group, it felt like 15 years. By that time, Asugi had finished a grape flavoured lollipop.

"That's not healthy," Caeldori exclaimed, shaking her head. Asugi stuck out his tongue, causing Caeldori to gasp.

Anna placed two fingers on her right temple and suddenly exclaimed, "Corrin, what's wrong?"

Asugi, Caeldori and Rhajat swung their heads around and stared at Anna as if she was some kind of otherworldly creature.

"Oh, really? … Ahhhhh, okay. You had me scared for a sec! … No, heh. … Alright, see you soon."

Caeldori turned to her group and mouthed "I think she's gone insane."

"Oh, sorry! I was just using telekinesis to communicate with Corrin. It's a unique skill used in outrealms," Anna explained, while doing her signature pose; her finger was by her chin. "And just to let you guys know, you are now able to use the Dragon's Gate to go to the Outrealm!"

The group all let out a big sigh of relief simultaneously. "THANK THE GODS," they said. Caeldori pinched her brow as if she had just been saved from insanity.

Before proceeding through the Dragon's Gate, Rhajat decided to speak up. "Tell me more about this… errr… tell-ek-nee-sis?" She mumbled. No one heard as they were already through the Dragon's Gate. She walked through the gate rather reluctantly.

* * *

Although Ryoma had stated that this exercise was based on the army's ability to stay calm and escape even when the escape route wasn't obvious, no one knew what to expect when they arrived in the Outrealm.

The starting position was a dim, candlelit room, with old, dusty statues decorating the room to create a very creepy and eerie atmosphere. The floorboards were old and needed replacing - this was clear because even the lightest of steps would cause a creaking sound from below. A round table inhabited the centre of the room, masked by a frayed white tablecloth. Pottery lay lifeless and dull on shelves that looked like they were ready to give in at any moment. Overall, one could conclude that it had a Nohrian feel to the room.

Asugi, Caeldori, and Rhajat landed in the centre of the room with an unsatisfying thump. They took a second or two to regain their composure, then they took a quick glance at their surroundings.

"This is… unsettling," Caeldori whispered, fearful that there were poltergeists or some sort of evil spirit lingering in the room. She held her naginata closer to her chest.

Rhajat looked unfazed. "I rather like this place. Asugi, you're a ninja, aren't you? Ninjas are good at escaping, right?"

"Um… I guess so? But it's not easy when, you know, _there are no doors_?" Asugi retorted, his sarcastic tone shaking Rhajat. She flicked her hair dismissively in response.

As if the atmosphere didn't feel dangerous enough, something more even unexpected happened. The floor began to rumble, causing Caeldori to leap onto a set of drawers, squeaking as the shelves nearby began to fall apart and shatter the assortment of pottery that lined them. Asugi wanted to move, but his legs had felt like they had been temporarily frozen in stone. Rhajat waved her hands in the air as if she was having _fun._ From her vantage point on the drawers, Caeldori squinted her eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

 _Someone save this child_ , Asugi thought, as he stumbled over to a nearby table, disappearing underneath it, as a means of protection from the falling hazards. In Hoshido, earthquakes were fairly common, as Hoshido was located snug next to a fault line that ran alongside the continent. As such, every resident of Hoshido knew the basic procedures for ensuring safety when an earthquake occurred.

Rhajat, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the current dangers.

"Death! Mwahahaha!" Rhajat screamed, her psychotic calls reverberating around the room. At that precise moment, the rumbling stopped. Crestfallen, Rhajat lay down on the floor, her face sheet white and free of any expression.

As Caeldori hopped off of the drawer to collect her naginata, she peered over to where Rhajat lay. After Asugi emerged from under the table, Caeldori shot him a meaningful glance, then turned to look pointedly at Rhajat. Asugi's response was a simple eye roll.

"Now that that's over, we can try, or at least attempt to get out of here," Asugi said, scanning the room for possible clues. Caeldori followed suit and she was checking in all the drawers and moving the statues to see if they hid anything significant.

A shattered piece of pottery glinted in the corner of Asugi's eye, which lead him to pick it up. Inscribed on it was a question, which read 'If you want to get out, you must answer the following question: which crustacean does Lord Ryoma resemble?'. Asugi turned to Caeldori and read it out loud.

"That's _easy._ He resembles a lobster! Anyone who's into samurai fashion knows that." Caeldori let out a small giggle.

Asugi looked thoughtful for a moment as if he was pondering what that meant. He shook his head. "You don't have to be into samurai fashion to know that he's cosplaying as a lobster. Anyway, that's our clue, right? So… what now?"

While Asugi and Caeldori were searching for anything remotely related to a lobster, they had completely neglected Rhajat, who could be found lying in the exact same position as she was in 10 minutes ago.

She lay while contemplating the meaning of life. She was having an existential crisis. _Why are we here? Why was I born as a human? Will I be reborn when I die? When will-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Asugi and Caeldori's incoherent shouting.

"No, that does _not_ resemble a lobster!"

"It does! It's the same colour, it's got the same body shape-"

"Uh, do you have eyes? It says 'Crayfish'!"

"Okay, crayfishes are the closest relatives to lobsters. I read that in 'Ryoma: The Sexiest Prince Alive'. So, you can do your own thing, but I'm sure that this is the clue we need!"

"Did I just… hear that right? 'Ryoma: The Sexiest Prince Alive'? Isn't he your uncle?"

"I… was just kidding, heehee!"

By this point, Rhajat was on her feet again. She halfheartedly waved her hands to try and catch her squabbling teammates' attention, but naturally, she failed.

"Time to try a different approach," Rhajat muttered, to herself.

A moment later, Asugi and Caeldori had stopped quarreling. It was due to the current scent wafting around the room. Caeldori gave Asugi a funny look.

"Asugi, I've told you time and time again. Don't carry around sweets in your pocket! This is what happens when they go off."

Asugi looked taken aback. "Whoa, what? That's not me who's creating that really… er… strange scent… it smells like a dragon… and the scent of soy sauce… and a bit of sweat too, if I'm being honest."

Rhajat smirked, impressed by Asugi's accuracy in naming the exact scents that made up the odour that enveloped the room. "That's my newest perfume. I call it _Caca-du-Corrin_. I think that means something good in a fancy foreign language that I've heard some Nohrians use. I'm hoping to sell these and make a profit. Want to smell my bestseller, _Gaz-du-Corrin?_ "

Asugi and Caeldori stole a look at each other. They clearly weren't going to get a say in the matter.

Rhajat took that as a 'yes' and whipped out a hazardous looking bottle with a lime green liquid broiling inside of it. She accidentally lost her grip and upon the bottle's descent, it squirted out some of the _Gaz-du-Corrin_ onto the table. Almost instantaneously, the area where the _Gaz-du-Corrin_ splattered corroded and there was a sinister sizzling noise as that chunk of the table fizzled into nothingness.

Rhajat's eyes were wide open. "Woah… _that_ worked."

A vile and nauseating smell rose from where the ashes of the table lay. As soon as the stench hit Asugi and Caeldori's noses, they recoiled into the corner of the room, choking and gagging. Rhajat closed her eyes and breathed in the scent as if she was used to it.

"Wh-wha-" Asugi began a fit of coughs, unable to speak due to the noxious gas filling his lungs.

To everyone's surprise, a hole opened in the wall, expanding until it was big enough for a person to walk through. Asugi and Caeldori had managed to get themselves onto their feet, but Asugi was still using the wall as a support. He shivered when his eyes passed the table's ashes, recollecting the horrendous fumes that they emitted.

It was time to get out of here.

* * *

"Thankful" wasn't a strong enough word to convey how the trio felt about leaving the last room - maybe Rhajat wasn't as bothered as the other two were. However, this next challenge was nigh impossible.

Asugi picked up a note that had been stuck to the wall, and read it. "You have to wait in this room for 10 minutes before you may leave."

Caeldori folded her arms and smiled. "That's not difficult."

Asugi squinted his eyes. "No, wait, there's more. 'During this period, in front of you will be your biggest fears. Can you take the excruciating pain of watching something but not being able to do anything? Oh, and you get points taken off if you close your eyes. Can't get points deducted if you don't close your eyes!" And next to the last sentence, there was a picture of Corrin, with two fingers on his forehead.

Rhajat whimpered, but her face soon lit up like the morning sun when she saw Corrin's face.

"Something's happening," Caeldori breathed, pointing a finger at the scene beyond the large glass panel behind them.

Simply put, there was a room. But…

"Umm… what's that kid doing?" Asugi thought out loud, as a child walked into that room and began doing some particularly mischievous things.

His hands were covered in _paint_ , and there was a white cape lying nearby. He approached the cape, then slammed his palms into it, then smeared the paint around, causing the once perfectly white cape to become matted with several shades of paint. Caeldori screeched, and nearly snapped her naginata in two out of frustration.

Then the child washed his hands, and then, he sat down at a table. A selection of sweet treats and desserts appeared before him. Asugi glared at the child. He could feel saliva building up in his mouth.

The shot began to zoom in on the child as he ate a gummy worm. In the artificial light that was hanging from the ceiling, it glistened, as it was covered in sugar. Asugi cried out when the child chewed the delicacy.

Next up was the finest berry cheesecake Asugi had ever seen. The crust was smooth, the surface of the cheesecake was shiny… and as the child cut out a piece for himself, Asugi moaned. There were different coloured layers for each of the flavours in the cheesecake. The child picked up a fork and cut a bitesized piece, then placed it in his mouth. Asugi gasped, unable to control his current feelings.

Rhajat was enjoying herself, as she had not been subjected to anything torturous yet. She cackled when a gooey pudding appeared, the child scoffing that down as well.

Caeldori's face was a mixture of surprise and disgust. "How can that child eat so much and not feel sick?"

"Eh, probably some kind of spell," Rhajat said, waving her hand as if to say she knew a spell that allowed a person to eat but not feel sick.

Rhajat's amusement was short lived as Corrin walked into the room.

"Corrin?!" Rhajat was astounded.

The child picked up a dagger and rammed it through Corrin's chest. Rhajat went _berserk._

"ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" She was screaming and howling, while tears flowed out of her eyes.

A giant dragon spirit materialised from Rhajat's scroll and headed straight for the glass panel. As soon as it made contact, the glass panel shattered into a million tiny fragments which showered the room. Asugi and Caeldori hastily took shelter behind a large box.

It was quiet, and the room was dark. Only the soft sobbing of Rhajat kept the room from utter silence.

"I think," Asugi started, breaking the tension, "We failed this part."

Asugi then turned to Caeldori, his voice low. "I wonder if she knew that that was just an illusion."

Caeldori shrugged, casting a sympathetic look to the crazed diviner. Rhajat had calmed down, but she still looked genuinely upset.

"Come on, let's go into the next room." The ninja was already beside a newly opened door with a fresh lemon lollipop in his mouth.

With a look of reluctance, Rhajat proceeded alongside her teammates. Inside, she was telling herself that what she just witnessed was fake and that she shouldn't need to worry, as Corrin was safe and sound.

* * *

A small, musky brown mouse whizzed past Caeldori's feet, making her heart perform a frontflip. Asugi sniffed as if he sensed something unusual.

The room they were in had a lack of light, save for a small gap in the ceiling where water trickled from. A strong stench hung in the air but for once, it wasn't one of Rhajat's perfumes.

"I don't think I can take the smell much longer," Caeldori remarked, while pinching her nose.

"Neither can I. I _could_ spray some _Décès-du-Corrin,_ but that's still in its developmental phase. I can't decide whether the smell is invigorating or rejuvenating. Could be both. Would you two like to be my test subjects?" Rhajat's face was adorned by a fake smile.

Asugi gave Rhajat a "thumbs down" but in one little corner of her brain, Rhajat took that as a go-ahead.

 _Décès-du-Corrin_ emerged from one of Rhajat's side pockets. The bottle was not transparent - therefore, nobody knew what the contents of the bottle looked like. Rhajat had a firm grip on the neck of the bottle, and she wasted no time spraying. And she did so, perhaps too generously.

As if the room wasn't as dank and dreary before the highly offensive smell sourced from Rhajat's bottle shrouded the room. At this point, Asugi and Caeldori were on their knees suffocating, both of them dangerously close to losing consciousness.

Even _Rhajat_ was beginning to splutter.

"Is this… h-how it ends…" Caeldori sank into the floor, her breathing slowing. Asugi let out one final gasp and then he too sank to the floor, a crumpled mess.

Rhajat slipped the bottle discreetly back into her pocket. She looked concerned for her comrades.

"Uh… you can wake up now. The smell has passed."

No response.

"Was I …wrong, then?"

Rhajat grew silent. As she looked over to where her comrades' bodies were, she noticed a small, fuzzy glow that was starting to conceal their bodies. The glow grew more intense; their bodies slowly began to disappear.

 _Poof_.

The diviner was alone.

* * *

Asugi and Caeldori stood at the Dragon's Gate, their bodies still aching and sore from the ordeal that they faced earlier. After they had been knocked unconscious, a mysterious spirit had transported them back to the Astral Plane. Shrine maidens and priestesses had been working tirelessly to prevent a loss of life. Regarding Asugi and Caeldori's condition, it wasn't life threatening, but procedures had been taken to help purify their lungs. They were awaiting Rhajat's return.

"Ryoma, we can't beat King Garon if all our soldiers are dead," Scarlet muttered, scowling. She respected her husband's decision to go ahead with this exercise, even knowing the risks beforehand. She silently regretted her prior actions, wishing they had imposed a stricter rule on what the army were allowed to bring into the Outrealm.

"Come on. We would not have known that someone would bring poison and unintentionally knock their teammates out, pushing them to the brink of death." One look at Ryoma's face would immediately tell someone that his heart was heavy with sorrow and regret.

Scarlet swallowed while lowering her head. "You're right. It was just an accident, and we can't predict these kind of things, dammit."

It wasn't until the early hours of the next day that the first team had made it back. Subaki was hiding a deep wound in his arm, insisting that "he was perfect and the wound would heal by itself". Hinoka had sprained her ankle on some debris that she couldn't detect in the darkness.

More and more groups had arrived by sunrise. There weren't any particularly serious injuries, but the injuries that were there needed to be treated as soon as they could. Sakura, Azama, and Mitama were hurrying about the Astral Plane, waving rods and bandaging people, as they were the only healers fit to heal.

By mid-morning, the general fracas in the Astral Plane had subsided. The healers were completely wiped from all the rushing and panicking that they had previously suffered through.

Rhajat awoke to find herself in a large tent. Shiro, who was adjacent to her, was sleeping peacefully, a bandage around his forearm.

Two heads popped through the tent's entrance. Rhajat rolled her eyes when she saw them.

"So," the first one began, "I see you've regained consciousness." She finished her sentence with a caring smile.

"Uh, yeah. We were here to mention…" The second one looked at the female, as if that was her cue to say something.

"Oh! Well, this may come as bad news to you, but Ryoma confiscated your perfumes. Sorry, we couldn't do anything about it." She seemed apologetic.

Rhajat sat herself up, propping her pillow behind her head. "I knew this would happen…"

"Eh, at least they're not taking away potential profit. Who would want to buy those insulting-"

The female gave the male a hard shove, causing him to fall into the tent. She frowned, but in the blink of an eye, it became a smile.

"Ignore him. It's just… really relieving to see that you're okay. Was it difficult being in the Outrealm alone?"

Rhajat didn't need to think to come up with an answer. "Of course it wasn't. My magic could destroy a whole castle!"

The diviner let out a witch-like cackle, but that soon evolved into a spluttering cough. Caeldori patted her back, then tucked her back under the white covers.

"Come on Asugi, let's give her a chance to rest. Let's not wake Shiro too." Caeldori attempted to drag Asugi out of the tent, but it was like he had lost the use of all of his muscles.

"Asugi! Up!"

"But it's so nice and cosy in here," Asugi groaned.

Caeldori folded her arms. "Okay Asugi, if you don't get up, I won't make you any red bean mochi!"

"MOCHI?!" Asugi sprung to his feet, as energetic as a youthful rabbit. Caeldori smirked.

"Shh, quiet! Oh, and by the way, you'll have to give me a hand in the kitchen, though, because I'm planning to make LOTS. I heard that it's a favourite of Rhajat's," Caeldori said, a hint of excitement lingering in her tone.

* * *

 **Oh yeah, this thing exists. Oops?**

 **So much for saying "this thing needs to be updated soon". I felt really bad for this, and I didn't want for this story to die out before it had a chance to even develop. So I kept writing and eventually I had scraped together something that resembles a half-assed chapter, lol.**

 **Enough of that, though. I decided to make a couple changes in this chapter that I thought would improve from the first one. Firstly, I toned down the whole 'memeyness" just so the humour element wasn't weighed down by the unfunny jokes that I would've included. In my honest opinion, I think this story is better without all that nonsense. Buuut, including one or two won't ever hurt.**

 **I kind of hope this wasn't too gimmicky. I changed the ending because I didn't want it to be predictable and boring. Well, it probably still is, but hey…**

 **The reason I didn't write anything about Rhajat's time in the Outrealm by herself would be because it would take way too long to write, and the way I wanted to write that wouldn't have fitted in with the current style of story; keeping the theme of humour wouldn't be a simple task, especially for an inexperienced writer such as myself. So… yeah, sorry if you were expecting anything there. I considered making this chapter a two-parter, but I found that it's much easier for me to fit everything into just one, as the continuity is affected if I split it up. I could try writing it as a separate "side-story" but nothing is set in stone, for now.**

 **I suppose... I should mention AceBen for providing practically everything. Feedback, support, motivation… really, thank you so much for helping me to know that it's not the best thing to just abandon a story out of the blue when it could be something that you're really proud of. Please, if you like Birthright, extremely detailed scenes, and a lil bit of fluff, then you'll** _ **love**_ **his fic called Absent-minded. Do yourself a favour and go read it if you haven't already. Maybe you'll be just as enthralled with it as much as I am.**

 **Since this is just the A/N, I should wrap this up. Who knows when the next chapter will be… I'm hoping sometime this century. No, but seriously, it could be any time in the next few months, depending on how motivated I am and depending on how busy life is. Personally, I'd love to see it up within a month, but that seems a little far-fetched, if you take into account my current levels of consistency. I know that I'd feel good if it was, though.**

 **Again, criticism and feedback are appreciated, I wanna see how I can improve (If there are any grammatical issues which I have done my best to reduce to a bare minimum but they may still be present, please say, as grammar is my weakness). Until next time!**

 **~ Spluush ~**


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